Hinge mechanism



A.` BARNSTEINER ET AL April 28, `1942.

HINGE MECHANISM Filed D60. 29, 1959 2` Sheets-Sheet 1 "y A@r ATTRNEY`Ailn'il 28, 1942 A. BARNsTlNER ErAL ,2,281,018

HINGE MECHANISM Filed DBC. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 28,1942 HINGE MEonANrsM Alfons Barnsteiner and Edwin H.l Lockwood,

Mansfield, Ohio, `assignors to Westinghouse Electric &

Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporationofvPennsylvania i ApplicationDecemrber 29, `1939, `Serial No, 311,633

` 3 Claims.`

Our invention relates'to hinges and more partlcularly to range oven doorhinge structures.

'I'here has been a tendency for some oven doors utilizing Oven C1001*hinge structures no w known to the art, to'become locked in their closedposition. V'I'hisis lcaused by the `unpredictable warplng or expansionand contraction of various'parts of the range during its operation, or,in some casesthe rough handling due to a long and protracted shipment ofthe range structure.

the necessary latching devices associated with the hinge mechanism.After careful research and con- The i `binding or locking of the door isparticularly i caused by the hinge arms which are attached to the doorbecoming bound with or locked behind tion.

sideration of` the known locking cases, it has been i arm becomingmisaligned with the latching `devices." Various ingenious attempts havebeen made in the art to `overcome this binding action. However, none oftheuattempts have been i'lully successful." A reason for the failuretoovercome this serious problem has been that no attempt has `beenmadeto take into consideration the reiative movement between'the hinge `armsand the latching devices.

itis, therefore, an objectof our invention to provide a hingingmechanismincluding a' hinge arm 4and 1`atching devicehaving means incorporatedtherewith for limiting` the relative movement therebetween so as toguarantee that there cannot be any binding action between such hingearrn and such latching device.

`A further object of our invention is to provide a hinge mechansm havinghinge arm guides `located in `close relationship to the latchingde-`vices so as to guide the hinge arm just before it engages the latchingdevice. It is a4 further object of our invention to provide a hingemechanism having a housing to i which various hinge mechanism parts maybe attached, and by means of which said parts may be mounted as a unitwithin the range structure,

said housing having inwardly extending bosses itherein to function as`guiding members for the hinge arm to prevent binding action betweensuch arms and other parts of such mechanism.

Afurther object of our invention is to provide `an eflicient,inexpensive, economical, rugged f hinge mechanism which may be readilymounted i found" than this binding is caused by the hingef vention, `orwill be apparent from such descrip-` In the accompanying drawings: i i

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a range embodying our invention withla portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hinge mechanism embodying ourinvention.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the hinge mechanism i-n its closedposition;

Fig.` 4 is a side elevational view of the hinge mechanism in its openposition; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view takenalong the line V--V of Fig. 3. h

Referring to the `accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters indicate like parts in the figures, we show a range structureI0 including an enclosingwall structure I2 comprising a plurality offunctionally integral walls which embrace a plurality of spacedcompartments including an oven IItWo hinge mechanisms I3 and an ovendoor I4 pivotally mounted on the wall structure I2 by means ofthemechanisms.

The ran'ge structure III may be constructed in any suitable manner.However, it is preferred that such range structure Ill `embody the wraparound feature, in which the wall structure I2 h in a copending patentapplication of E. H. Locklowing description of a device embodying ourin- `55 wood, Serial No. 177,726, filed December 2, 1937, andl assignedto the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. HoweverVit is tobe understood that the door hinge mechanism I3 herein disclosed may alsobe associated with other range structures.

The range wail structure I2 comprises substantially a continuous wallmember which forms two sides and a front, the front having a pluralityof apertures I6 and I8 located therein su-bstantially as shown inFig. 1. `The range structure III` includes a horizontally disposedsupporting plate 2D which is rigidly attached to the wall structure I2by suitablcreinforcing brackets (not shown).

The oven I I is provided with a liner 22 which is spaced from the Wallsand the supporting plate 20. The space between the sides of the ovenliner 22 and the walls, and betweenthe bottom of the ovenliner 22 andthe plate 2U is iilled with a suitable insulating material, such as rockWool.

Each `of the hinge mechanisms I3 comprises aunitarysub-assernblyM'mounted on the wall structure and a bell crank hinge bracket or arm 26attached to the oven door I4and operatively associated with thesub-assembly 24. The'subassemblies 24 are mounted on the supportingplate on opposite sides of the oven liner 22, each sub-assembly beingdisposed in the space between the adjacent walls or wall structure andthe liner.

Each sub-assembly 24 comprises generally a housing 28, a hinge pin l3Il,a latch lever 32, a stop strap 34 and a latching roller 36 all mountedon the housing 28. The housing 28 thus serves for assembling these partsinto a unitary structure and for mounting them as a unit in the rangewall structure. the insulating material lling the spacebetween the wallstructure and the oven liner 22 from becoming tangled with the variousworking parts oi the hinge mechanism, as well as preventing undesiredrelative movement between various working parts.

Referring now in detail to the hinge mechanisms shown in Figs. 3 and 4,the housing 28 is preferably formed of sheet material and comprises apair of side walls 38, a rear wall and a top wall 42. It is open at thefront and the .bottom to permit the operating parts of the hingemechanism to be readily placed therein. The sides 38 are heldtogether bya plurality of rivets or pins 44 which extend therethrough, and areriveted over against the side Walls 38.

The hinge pin 36 extends between and through the side walls 38, and issecured thereto in any suitable manner, as by peening or riveting theends over against the outer Surfaces of the side walls. The latchinglever 32, which comprises a channel-shaped member, may be swingablymounted within the housing in any suitable manner. However, in thisinstance, it is swingably mounted at one end by meansof a pin 46. Thepin 46 is rigidly attached to the side walls 38 of the housing 28, as byextending through the side walls of said housing and being peened over.The latching roller 36 is located at the other or free end of thelatching lever 32 (see Figs. 3 i' and 4l).l The roller 36 is attached tothe latching lever 32 by means of a pin 48 which extends It also servesto prevent.

-bracket 26 and the oven door I4.

.or guide means are located vintermediate latching device and hingebracket 26 they are close enough to the roller 36 to ensure that thelatching portion 64 of bracket 26 cannot possibly work around the bossesand engage anything but the roller. The relative angular or sidewiseposition of the hinge bracket 26 is thus limited, ensuringy the directcooperation of bracket 26 with the latching roller 36 at all times. Thisin turn prevents the hinge bracket or arm 26 from becoming bound with orjammed between the latching lever 32 and the side walls 38 of thehousing 28.

The bell crank hinge bracket 26 comprises a pair of arm or legportions56 and `51 joined by a central arcuate arm portionY 60.

The inner arm or leg 56 o f bracketv 26' has a hook portion 62 and anelongated'portiori 64. The hook portion 62 is adapted to t over and restupon the hinge pin 30 to support such The elongated or latching portion64 of inner arm 56 is adapted to engage the latching roller 36 when insubstantially ahorizontal position and to engage the stop 34 when in aVertical position..

The arm 60 of bracket 26 is adapted to coop-V erate with and to berigidly attached to the oven door I4 in any suitable manner as by flange58 so as to rotatably support such door about the hinge pin 30. A

In assembling the range structure, a pair of hinge mechanismsub-assemblies 24 are placed on each side of the ovenl liner 22 withinthe space between the oven liner 22 .and the wall structure, with theopen ends of the housings 28 thereof facing the front wall of the rangeassembly and lined up with apertures in front of the wall of the rangeassembly. The exact method of assembling the hinge mechanisms and theoven door is more clearly described and claimed in a copendingapplication of E. E. Sutherland`l and L. E. Lown, Serial No. 308,782,filed December l2, 1939- To mount the oven door I4, a pair of hinge lbrackets or arms 26 are fastened to the door,

A resilient member 52 is operatively associated with the rear wall 40 of the housing 28 at one end, by being positioned within a cylindricallyformed boss 54 within the side Walls 38 of such housing 28, and with thelatching lever 32 at its other end (see Figs. 3 and 4). 'Ihe-v resilientmember 52 is under compression and will then biasthe latching leverforwardly or in a counterclockwise direction. However,y the movements ofsuch latching lever 32 will be limited by the pin engaging one end ofeach of the cooperating arcuate slots 5,0 as hereinbeiore described.

The latching lever 32 and roller 36 may be construed as a latchingdevice which is adapted to cooperate with the hinge bracket. or arm 26to latch such bracket or arm and the oven door I4 attached thereto intheir closed'position, as hereinafter described. .f

Elongated substantially vertically extending guide means or bosses 39are formed within each of the side walls 38 of the housing 28. Suchbosses are positioned directly across from each tov one on each side, bymeans of suitable rivets 66. Then the arms of the hinge brackets 26 areprojected through the apertures in the front wall of the range assembly,and the hook portions 62 of the hinge brackets 26 are hooked over thehinge pins 30 about which the oven door I4 is adapted to pivot.

The inner leg or arm 56, when the oven door hinge bracket or arm 26 isin its closed position, is substantially in a horizontal position, andthe latching end 64 thereof will be located below the roller 36 (seeFig. 3), which in turn holds the hinge bracket lever 26 and oven door I4in al I.v i

stantially horizontal position. However, as it passes from its verticalto its horizontal position, if not properly aligned with roller 36 itencounters the inwardly extending bosses 39 which direct its movementand limit the horizontal side play of such leg. The bosses being formedwithin the housing thus ensure that the inner leg 56 will contact thelatching roller 36. In other words, the bosses 39 prevent the inner legor arm hinge mechanism, and guarantees the absence of any locking orbinding action between the hinge bracket and the remainingparts of themechanism.

3 In addition, it follows that, due to the compact structure of suchhinge mechanism, in which the whole structure will move as the rangeexpands and` contracts, the bosses formed within the housing thereofwill at all times ensure a satis factory operation and prevent the ovendoor from becoming locked in a closed position.

While we have shown ouriinvention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art l that it is not so limited, but isVsusceptible of various changes and modifications without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and We desire,

therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as arespecically set forth in the appended claims.`

We claim` as our invention:

`l. In a hinge mechanism for pivotally mount ing an oven door on a`range structure', a unitary sub-assembly comprising a housing formedwith housing and adapted to be pivotally engaged by saidl hinge bracket,a latching device mounted on said housing and disposed therein inposition two opposite walls and open at one side to receive a hingebracket attached to said oven door,

a `hinge pin mounted on and disposed in said to engage said hingebracket when the oven door is in closed position for holding the same inclosed position, and bosses formed within opposite walls of the housingpositioned between the hinge pin and latching device for guiding thehinge bracket in its movement so that said bracket will engage thelatching device in a predetermined manner as the door is closed.

2`. A hinge mechanism for horizontally pivotally mounting an oven` dooron a range structure comprising a functionally integral hinge bracketrigidly attached to said door, a latching device for engaging suchbracket and retaining it in place as the door is moved to asubstantially vertical position, and guide means positioned between thebracket and latching device and entirely clear of said bracket when thedoor is in a substantially horizontal 4position for directing themovement of said bracket past said means as said door is moved to saidvertical position so as to insure the proper engagement of said bracketwith said latching device.

3. A hinge mechanism for horizontally pivotally mounting an oven door ona range structure comprising a housing having a hollow passage, a

functionally integral hinge bracket rigidly at-a tached to said door andadapted to move within such passage, a latching device retained withinsuch housing for engaging said bracket and retaining it in place as thedoor is moved to a substantially vertical position, and means betweenthe bracket and latching device and entirely clear of said bracketwhenthe door is in a substantially horizontal position restricting thepas.-

